I too installed a cassette ventilation system about a year ago and agree that there is no smell inside the van at all from the cassette.
Outside the van is another story. Although the system comes with an external filter it does Jack you know what. Before someone says that the filter needs replacing, it was like that from day one.
The SOG and similar systems are great for free camping where your neighbours are parked outside of the "smell zone". No chemicals are needed and the cassette contents can be emptied into any septic without fear of contaminating the system. When in a caravan park where you neighbours are within a metre or two of your van the story is a bit different. This is particularly evident with angled drive through sites when the toilet cassette of your van is adjacent to the outdoor seating area, ie: the neighbours awning. In cases like that I have disconnected the cassette ventilation fan so the neighbours don"t get the "aromas' every time you use your loo.
I ask others with these types of systems to advise if they have experienced the same "aromas" outside their vans when the toilet is being used, or is it just that my crap stinks more than other peoples.
Agree with thomas. We were parked beside one in a caravan park other van on our awning side and the smell was horrendous. I would never inflict that on my neighbours and should be banned in caravan parks.All there doing is propelling your smells onto others.
I too installed a cassette ventilation system about a year ago and agree that there is no smell inside the van at all from the cassette.
Outside the van is another story. Although the system comes with an external filter it does Jack you know what. Before someone says that the filter needs replacing, it was like that from day one.
The SOG and similar systems are great for free camping where your neighbours are parked outside of the "smell zone". No chemicals are needed and the cassette contents can be emptied into any septic without fear of contaminating the system. When in a caravan park where you neighbours are within a metre or two of your van the story is a bit different. This is particularly evident with angled drive through sites when the toilet cassette of your van is adjacent to the outdoor seating area, ie: the neighbours awning. In cases like that I have disconnected the cassette ventilation fan so the neighbours don"t get the "aromas' every time you use your loo.
I ask others with these types of systems to advise if they have experienced the same "aromas" outside their vans when the toilet is being used, or is it just that my crap stinks more than other peoples.
I would like to know.
Regards Robert
Robert,
Yep, I am aware of the smell of roses outside especially when just turned on for use.
But as a general rule its likely that except in periods of heavy use there's a slow leak of
roses that is usually not noticeable.
You can also get a whiff when others use the potty and your windows are open and a waft
can come in.
A failsafe assistance is to have a pressure sprayer with a mix of water and sodium PERcarbonate
under good pressure and use this as a pressure spray when some roses are clinging to the exit
of the bowl. Intelligently used this will mostly alleviate the necessity to flush with water and
thereby save your water supplies and not fill the holding tank so rapidly.
Sodium PERcarbonate is available online or use 3X the quantity of NappyySan VANISH.
I have a 1 liter pump sprayer and adjust the nozzle to a fairly narrow spray.
will keep the bowl nice and white also. $7 at Bunnings.
I use 1 teaspoon to a liter of water. 3 teaspoons of NappySan Vanish.
I have no experience with these devices, but it sounds to me like a solution to a problem that does not exist for most people, and (believing those comments - including the OP) the solution makes the problem worse than what it was intended to fix. A properly managed cassette toilet has no odour problem.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Thursday 7th of August 2025 02:22:18 PM
When it comes to carbon filters, I am a 100% novice.
Is there any product or brand that you can recommend which will improve odour retention above what the provided filter does. In other words, is there a Bees Knees in carbon filters which can be cut to size and approximately 25mm thick?
I will continue using the cassette ventilation system as I generally free camp and outside smells are not an issue, for me. But when I do have close neighbours I would like to think that they aren't counting how many times I use the loo by how many times they have to peg their noses.
Mate decided on a SOG system, my comment don't like the odour coming out the door, people can smell it as they walk by your van, or the noise of the fan near the door, SWMBO'ed did not want others to known she was on the loo ( Hang on it could be me.)
So mate had the fan/filter and outlet under his van, so noise ( if any) and odour is dispersed over a wider area.
Offered me the parts to build ours at no cost, did not take up his offer. ( 2 of his mates did take up his offer and kicked in the cost of parts)
Have been to CMCA rallies and other dump points where there is a Q, and No way would I Not use odour eating chemicals to eliminate the smell and embrassement, not for me but others in the Q.
-- Edited by PeterInSa on Thursday 7th of August 2025 08:32:49 PM
I agree with Are We Lost in that I haven't noticed a problem with our cassette toilet. The "bathroom" has a sliding door and a rooftop exhaust fan if any unpleasant odours are present, although it is rare that we use the fan.
Can I ask what your definition of a properly managed toilet is. I'm not asking for any reason other than curiosity.
The reason I use a cassette ventilation system, (I'm cautious about naming the particular brand for legal reasons), is that I have no desire to use chemicals if it can be avoided. Plus the fact that it may save a few cents per dump along the way is an added bonus.
I understand why cassette additives are used and respect individuals options to do as they please with them. Do you use chemicals or is there another way to reduce toilet cassette odours?
A good question Thomas. I commend you on not wanting to use chemicals except that some chemicals are better than others.
Rather than buy the stuff available at camping and caravan places I use sodium percarbonate. This is the active ingredient in Napisan and similar. In the supernarket, usually the no name brands have a higher concentration of the active ingredient and cost much less.
This one is 32% sodium percarbonate (see label on the back).
You can also buy 100% sodiium percarbonate from most brewers' supplies. Sodium percarbonate is friendly to the environment as opposed to the typical toilet chemicals which are not.
Following some comments online I may have been using more than others, but I currently put in about a desertspoon on the first use, and a bit less each time it is used after that. For a bit of freshness, a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil on the bowl after use. There is no odour, and any solids quickly disintegrate. When emptying after say 3 days there is hardly any aroma. Incredible stuff and most long term travellers use it.
I have used sodium percarbonate based products in the past with mixed results. I used the Aldi brand one which was 30+% from memory. I think my problem was not adding enough over the cycles between emptying the cassette. Some people are adamant that sodium percarbonate is not a septic friendly product as it is a sanitizer. Chemistry was not my best subject so I will leave that to others who know. (Not think they know).
When I choose to disconnect the ventilation fan as previously mentioned I tend to revert to sodium percarbonate products to assist with aroma suppression. I guess I will continue down that path and maybe up the dosage a bit.